379th largest plant in Illinois · 11132nd nationally
Solar Star Urbana Landfill East is a solar power plant in Illinois with a nameplate capacity of 1.9 MW. It generates roughly 3.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 305 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 19% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Solar Star Urbana Landfill East |
|---|---|
| Operator | Solar Star Urbana Landfill East, Llc |
| City | Urbana |
| County | Champaign County |
| State | Illinois |
| ZIP | 61802 |
| Coordinates | 40.12078, -88.17688 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18952 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 1.9 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.